Maharashtra Seeks Rs 17,500 Crore From Centre For Drought Relief
The state government has also directed the collectors of Sangli, Satara and Pune districts to submit fact-finding reports following a demand to include 10 talukas from these districts in the drought-affected list.
Mumbai: Maharashtra has submitted an interim proposal seeking Rs 17,500 crore in financial assistance from the Centre for farmers affected by the drought, an official said. A Central team is expected to visit the affected talukas next week to assess the situation on the ground.
The state government has also directed the collectors of Sangli, Satara and Pune districts to submit fact-finding reports following a demand to include 10 talukas from these districts in the drought-affected list.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has announced a 10 per cent water cut across urban and rural areas amid the worsening drought situation and directed authorities to expedite relief measures for farmers and livestock owners. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said priority would be given to ensuring the availability of drinking water for villagers and livestock until August 2027.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Drought Relief Measures, chaired by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule at Mantralaya.
The Relief and Rehabilitation Department submitted the interim proposal to the Centre seeking Rs 13,000 crore for crop damage and Rs 4,500 crore for fodder, an official said.
“We sought Rs 13,000 crore for agriculture (crop damage) and Rs 4,500 crore for fodder last week. This is an interim proposal. The final proposal seeking financial assistance will be submitted after the survey of crop damage is completed,” the official said.
The Centre will bear 75 per cent of the assistance for crop damage, while the remaining 25 per cent will be borne by the state government.
The issue of drought was also discussed at the cabinet sub-committee meeting. Legislators have demanded that 10 more talukas be included in the drought-affected list.
“We have informed the legislators that a fact-finding report has been sought from the respective collectors. The district collectors will submit the findings to the government. Based on the collectors’ reports, we will take a decision on whether to include them in the drought-affected areas,” a senior official said.
Of the 358 talukas in the state, 265, or about 74 per cent, have already been declared drought-affected.
Bawankule said the government had directed departments to complete the remaining crop-damage assessments, or panchnamas, on a priority basis. “So far, over 45 per cent of the panchnamas in the state have been completed. Instructions have been issued to expedite the remaining assessments,” he said.
Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Patil said the government would focus on ensuring that the crop insurance process was conducted properly and transparently.
With fodder shortages emerging in drought-hit areas, the government is also considering alternatives to conventional fodder camps. “One proposal is to establish fodder depots through gram panchayats, allowing cattle to remain with their owners rather than being shifted to fodder camps,” Bawankule said.
Officials said the government would also explore setting up large fodder banks through grassland development on forest, barren and government land near irrigation reservoirs.
The administration is also planning to distribute relief before Diwali, with an emphasis on ensuring that eligible farmers are not excluded because of documentation or KYC-related issues.